Hyderabad, July 11
The competitive agitations for and against the creation of separate Telangana state rocked Andhra Pradesh, which is already reeling under political uncertainty in the wake of mass resignations by the elected representatives.

Violence has come back to haunt Osmania University campus here, the epicentre of the Telangana movement, with student activists clashing with the police.

Hundreds of students at Osmania University and Kakatiya University in the neighbouring Warangal town were taken into custody today to prevent them from undertaking an indefinite fast in support of their demand for a separate state.

Several Telangana MPs, MLAs and other leaders, belonging to the ruling Congress and the opposition TDP and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, were also arrested when they tried to enter the campus to express solidarity with the agitating students.

As many as 3,000 security personnel and paramilitary forces were deployed on the campus to ensure that students from outside did not enter the campus. All entry and exit points to the campus were sealed by the police and barricades erected.

Students from the neighbouring Telangana districts were arrested when they were en route to Osmania University to participate in the hunger strike. The day saw constant pitched battle between the students and the police, which resorted to lobbing of teargas shells and baton-charge to bring the situation under control.

Several students and cops were reportedly injured in the clashes. Condemning the arrest of students, who had planned a peaceful protest, leaders of the OU Joint Action Committee said the police was resorting to indiscriminate action to scuttle their hunger strike, in which over 1,000 students from all over the region were expected to participate. “We will not be cowed down by such repressive measures and intend to go ahead with our plans,” a student leader said.

City Police Commissioner AK Khan, however, denied the allegations, saying there was no police permission for the hunger strike programme. He also banned the entry of outsiders into the campus as per the orders from the Supreme Court.

The Telangana Congress MPs and MLAs, who had quit their posts recently, held a marathon meeting here and resolved to observe a 48-hour hunger strike from July 13.

Meanwhile, the other two regions in the state -Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra - were also rocked by agitations in support of their demand for continuing the status quo. After Telangana MPs and MLAs, it is now the turn of their Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra counterparts to go to Delhi and put across their viewpoint before the UPA bosses.

A delegation of “Seemandhra Elected Representatives Forum” will leave for Delhi on July 17 to meet the Central leaders and demand the continuation of the integrated state.

New Delhi, July 11
The CBI has sought a Delhi Police probe into allegations of coercion and blackmail levelled by former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran against the then Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and his associates to "force" him to sell his stake in the company to a Malayasia-based group.

The agency probing alleged irregularities in the Spectrum allocation between 2001-07 has recorded the statement of Sivasankaran where he alleged that he was forced to sell his stake in the company, CBI sources said.

He claimed that files started moving in the Telecom Ministry only after he sold his controlling stake to Maxis, considered close to Marans, the sources said.

The CBI has suggested that allegations of coercion and blackmail levelled by Sivasankaran should be probed by the Delhi Police, they said.

The agency, which had placed its 71-page fresh status report about the 2G scam before the Supreme Court recently, said that during 2004-07 when Maran was telecom minister, the promoter C Sivasankaran, was forced to sell the stake in Aircel to Maxis.

Senior Advocate K K Venugopal, who read the status report before a bench of justice G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly, did not take Maran's name but stated that the Chennai business man was not granted UAS licence for two years.

The CBI said the Malaysian firm was favoured by Maran and was granted licence within six months after taking over the Aircel in December 2006. Maran was the Telecom Minister between February 2004 and May, 2007.

"The gentleman (promoter of Aircel) had been knocking at various doors but was left with no choice but to sell his shares to a Malaysian form," said Venugopal, representing CBI, while reading out from the status report.

Earlier, an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, had alleged that Maran had favoured Maxis. — PTI

New Delhi, July 11
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna today welcomed the US decision to suspend about $800-million military aid to Pakistan“With reference to the special circumstances between India and Pakistan and how India has consistently taken the view that it is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US which will upset the equilibrium in the region itself, to that extent, India welcomes this step,” he told reporters.

The decision is being seen as a vindication of the New Delhi’s stand as it has consistently voiced apprehensions that the aid given by the US and other Western powers to Pakistan is being used by the latter to bolster its military infrastructure targeted at India. Krishna, however, underscored India’s commitment to normalise ties with Pakistan.

“Simultaneously the US must take note of the fact that we are working in a very committed manner to normalise our relations with Pakistan to reduce trust deficit, and efforts are on,” he said. Krishna added that he was expecting his Pakistani counterpart to visit India around the end of this month to carry forward the dialogue process.

The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are expected to hold talks on July 26 and 27 to carry forward the dialogue process that was resumed in February after a hiatus of over two years following the Mumbai terror attack. Krishna also condemned this morning’s suicide attack in Pakistan.

“If this is an attack by terrorists or terror-oriented organisations, then India condemns all such attempts. India condemns terror attacks across the globe,” he said.

New Delhi, July 11
The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for a CBI probe into Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal imposing a penalty of Rs 5 crore, instead of Rs 50 crore recommended by officials, on Reliance Communications for unilaterally switching off services in rural areas in 13 telecom circles.

A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly clarified that the SC was monitoring the CBI investigations only into the alleged irregularities and illegalities in the issue of 2G Spectrum and the resultant loss caused to the government exchequer.

Counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the PIL petitioner in the case, pleaded for a CBI probe into Sibal’s action overruling senior officials of his ministry. After receiving the file containing the recommendation, Sibal reduced the penalty upon receiving a letter from the company intimating him that the services had been restored.

Without even bothering to verify whether the company had restarted the services, the minister converted the penalty meant for discontinuation of service to that of disruption in service, Bhushan contended.

The Bench, however, clarified that “persons aggrieved” by the reduction in penalty was free to seek appropriate remedial action.

Senior counsel Rohinton Nariman, who appeared for Sibal, wanted the court to pass an order stating that the plea for the CBI probe had been rejected. The Bench, however, said it would not pass any order. “We have already indicated,” it said.

At the same time, the Bench clarified during the arguments that “it is open to the CBI to go into the matter. We are not stopping them”.

Bhushan argued that even the officials had recommended only Rs 50 crore as penalty whereas it should have been Rs 650 crore. 

New Delhi, July 11
The Supreme Court today asked Delhi Police to explain their behaviour and the need to resort to teargas and baton-charge in the closed enclosure when people were sleeping during yoga guru Baba Ramdev's protest gathering at the Ramlila Ground here last month.

An apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar said that there are documents and DVDs to show that the yoga exercises were undertaken at the camp, and if that was so, what was the justification for the police to resort to baton-charge.

Delhi Police chief B.K. Gupta, in an affidavit to the apex court, had said that permission to use the Ramlila Ground was given for a yoga camp, and not for any other purpose.

The court said it would consider Ramdev's plea to issue notice to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the grounds that the decision to use force against him and his followers was not taken by Delhi Police on June 4 but rather it was decided much earlier at the political level.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Ramdev, referred to a press release issued by the home ministry and an interview by Chidambaram to Doordarshan in support of his contention that the decision to use force was taken much earlier. The court will next hear the matter July 25.

Yoga guru Ramdev has alleged in the Supreme Court that P Chidambaram was behind the midnight crackdown on him and his followers during the protests on the issue of black money at the Ramlila Maidan last month. 

Yoga guru Ramdev has alleged in the Supreme Court that P Chidambaram was behind the midnight crackdown on him and his followers during the protests on the issue of black money at the Ramlila Maidan last month.

Jethmalani sought a direction that the Home Minister should explain the incident and notice should be issued to him personally.

Jethmalani said Ramdev had taken a decision not to walk down to Jantar Mantar protest on the issue of corruption and was staying with his followers at the Ramlila Maidan when the crackdown was launched.

He alleged there was no order of externment against Ramdev and, therefore, Chidambaram must be called to explain when the decision was taken and why it was taken to get the area vacated.

The bench asked senior advocate Harish Salve, who was appearing for the Delhi police, that there was need for response on some of the issues on which the law enforcing agency was silent.

The bench questioned the Delhi police for allegedly not registering the FIR on the complaint of the yoga guru's followers against the alleged atrocities committed by the authorities. The bench said this has to be clarified in an affidavit. — Agencies

Lucknow, July 11
The death toll in the yesterday’s Kalka Mail accident rose to 69 while unofficial sources put the number of deaths at 80 and that of the injured at 250.There was no official word on the cause of the accident even a day after the incident.

Sources maintained the accident occurred due to sudden application of emergency breaks. However, experts rejected the theory maintaining that it was impossible for 13 bogies to derail due to application of breaks.

A detailed investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident is already underway.

What was more shocking than the magnitude of the accident was the extremely slow and primitive mode of relief work at the accident site, around 120 km from here. As there was initially only one gas cutter, police personnel had to use hammers and chisels to extricate passengers trapped inside the mangled coaches.

All were not as lucky as Bali Ram who was pulled out alive by the Army from the ill-fated coach S2 after a 15-hour struggle. With injures all over his body, he said, “I was in great pain. A huge weight was on me and I could hardly move. I have been given this new life by the Army.”

The train was reportedly moving at a speed of over 100 kmph when the accident occurred. Meanwhile, a special train left the accident site for New Delhi with the 167 passengers who survived the mishap. 

New Delhi, July 11
After the former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, it is now the turn of her party colleague Mukul Roy to show tantrums and ignore Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s directives.

After committing a faux pas yesterday by saying that he would visit the Kalka Mail accident site in Uttar Pradesh “only if the need be”, the junior minister in the railways from the Trinamool Congress has chosen to ignore PM’s directive for him to visit the accident site in Assam.

At least 50 persons were injured when the separatists bombed the Guwahati-Puri Express when it was nearing Ghograpara in western Assam, about 70 km from Assam’s main city of Guwahati. The incident took place yesterday.

This morning Singh had directed Roy to visit the site where the Guwahati-Puri Express derailed in Assam, but the Minister of State for Railways has remained non-committal on the need to go.

Asked specifically by a news agency whether he would go to Assam since the directive was given by the Prime Minister, Roy said, “I have nothing to say. I suggest you contact the General Manager of the NF Railway about this.”

While Singh yesterday mourned the death of passengers in Kalka Mail derailment, Roy showed his insensitivity by suggesting that there was no need for a minister to visit the site of the accident in Uttar Pradesh.

Incidentally, the train accident in Assam was the fourth in the country within the last one month. The Kalka Mail accident was the third in Uttar Pradesh and the second within the past four days in the state.

While earlier on June 19, a brake lever snapped from a freight train at Aligarh and the wheel ploughed into passengers waiting at the platform, killing four people and injuring at least seven, over 30 persons were killed when a train rammed into a bus packed with a marriage party at an unmanned railway crossing in Kanshiram Nagar on July 7. The incident at Aligarh occurred when brake wheel of a passing goods train snapped from one of the wagons and hit the passengers waiting at Platform No II of the railway station. Railways have also ordered an inquiry into all the accidents.

Meanwhile, 15 trains were cancelled and 10 were diverted today, a day after the Kalka Mail accident. Railway authorities were trying to restore the track where traffic was completely disrupted. 

New Delhi, July 11
The government today allowed export of one million tonnes of non-basmati rice, lifting an over three-year old ban, in the wake of overflowing godowns. The decision to this effect was taken by an Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here.

“The EGoM has decided to allow export of one million tonnes of non-basmati rice but a decision on allowing wheat exports has been deferred,” a source said after the meeting

The ban on non-basmati rice was imposed in April 2008 because of high food inflation. — PTI

New Delhi, July 11
Shiela Gujral, wife of former Prime Minister IK Gujral, passed away today after a prolonged illness of four months. She was 87.

Gujral was a renowned poet, author and a social worker. She has many books to her credit in Punjabi, Hindi and English. She was also the recipient of many prestigious national and international awards, including the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the International Poet’s Academy and the Golden Poet Award and the Highest Literary Award by the Punjab Government in 1990.

She also wrote a few poems, stories, skits and educative articles for children. As chairman of the Balkanji Bari, a child welfare organisation, she organised various educative and welfare programmes for the children.

She is survived by her husband, two sons - Naresh and Vishal - and grandchildren - Anichya, Deeksha and Diva. 

Chandigarh, July 11
Dismissing a Major-General’s appeal against disciplinary action initiated against him for alleged irregularities in the purchase of equipment for troops proceeding overseas on a UN peacekeeping mission, the Armed Forces Tribunal has cleared the way for his trial by a general court martial.

A court of inquiry (COI) convened by Headquarters Western Command in 2008 held Maj-Gen Anil Sarup blameworthy of financial misappropriation in the purchase of items like clothing, accessories, generator sets and associated equipment for a unit proceeding to Congo.

Alleging several procedural lapses in the conduct of the COI and other proceedings, Maj-Gen Sarup had sought that they be quashed.The tribunal has held that principles of natural justice had been adhered to during the court of inquiry proceedings and that it was apparent that at every stage the Major-General had resorted to delaying tactics.

He still has the option of appealing against the tribunal’s order before higher judicial forums. Assistant Solicitor-General Col R Balasubramanian (retd) said all issues raised by the Major-General before the court regarding non-availability of witnesses, inadequate opportunity for cross-examination, non-compliance of statutory provisions and certain documents not being made available to him were adequately redressed and his contentions were not sustainable.

The COI, presided over by Lt-Gen PC Katoch, Director-General, Information Systems, at Army headquarters, found that prices of items procured for troops when Sarup was serving as Additional Director, General Ordnance Services, were heavily inflated vis-à-vis general market rates.

For example, the price of a generator set was quoted at Rs 14.5 lakh whereas the market rate was Rs 6.5 lakh. Similarly, some cables costing Rs 1,319 and Rs 569 per metre were purchased at Rs 11,000 and Rs 2,950 per metre, respectively.

Maj-Gen Sarup, who has since retired from the service, was attached to Headquarters 9 Corps near Dharamsala for disciplinary proceedings. Army sources said the recording of summary of evidence, based on which a decision to convene a GCM is taken, in this case is already complete.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had vacated the stay on subsequent proceedings subject to the outcome of the final orders. The case was later transferred to the tribunal.